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MILWAUKEE COUNTY

UWM student may face homicide charge

A University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee student faces a possible homicide charge after a relative was found dead in the student's dorm room, where drug paraphernalia was also found, authorities said Wednesday.

Timothy Stanczyk, 56, of Watertown was found unresponsive and sitting at the student's desk in Sandburg Hall shortly before 11 p.m. Monday, according to a Milwaukee County medical examiner's report.

According to the report, cotton balls, a spoon, foil packets and a tourniquet were found atop the desk and the student has a history of intravenous heroin use.

Stanczyk himself had a history of crack cocaine use, the report said; however, the cause of his death remained undetermined Wednesday.

UWM police arrested the student on suspicion of reckless homicide and failure to render aide, university spokesman Tom Luljak said.

Man shot, killed on northwest side

A man was shot and killed on Milwaukee's northwest side early Wednesday. The man, whose name and age were not released, was shot in the head in the 102nd block of W. Fond du Lac Ave., according to police. Authorities were called to the scene about 12:20 a.m.

September drug bust netted cocaine, cash

A traffic stop by Milwaukee police in September led to a large drug bust that netted about 9 pounds of cocaine and more than $140,000 in cash, authorities announced.

The cocaine had a street value of $804,000.

Police seized a large bag containing 11 small plastic bags of cocaine in a traffic stop Sept. 30. The next day authorities went to the driver's home, where a police dog detected controlled substances in the drug suspect's vehicle.

Hidden in the man's vehicle were about 9 pounds of cocaine and $36,500 in cash in a secret compartment, $1,000 under a cover on the driver's seat and $6,600 in the vehicle's engine compartment. Searches of the drug suspect's home in the 2600 block of W. Legion St. turned up $65,000 in a shoebox found in the kitchen and $35,305 was recovered from another home, in the 1600 block of W. Lincoln Ave.

Three people were arrested on federal charges of conspiracy to distribute cocaine. Authorities also seized three vehicles.

Ex-school CEO pleads guilty to tax charge

A pastor who ran a private choice school in Milwaukee has pleaded guilty to filing a false income tax return in federal court.

Gregory Goner, 41, of Milwaukee earlier was indicted by a grand jury on counts of theft of federal funds and wire fraud. Those counts were dropped, and he pleaded to the tax count, according to court records.

Goner also agreed to pay $68,128 in restitution to the Internal Revenue Service, according to the plea agreement. He faces a maximum of three years in prison.

Rodney Cubbie, Goner's attorney, said his client made mistakes in his tax filings. He said the fraud and theft counts had "no merit."

Goner, pastor of Spirit Governed Baptist Church, also was president and chief administrator of Excel Academy, which taught kindergarten through high school. It operated in various locations between 2004 and 2010, most recently at 4744 N. 39th St. The Department of Education granted about $100,000 to the school each year during that time.

WASHINGTON COUNTY

Court rejects $125,000 award over hair in food

Kevin Hansen couldn't eat the hairy steak he got from a West Bend restaurant in 2008, and now he won't be consuming the $125,000 a jury awarded him over the intentional food tampering either.

The state Court of Appeals on Wednesday ruled that a Washington County judge erred when he implied a jury finding of causal negligence on the part of Texas Roadhouse restaurant. Without that, there was nothing to support the jury's award of $100,000 in punitive damages, and $25,000 in compensatory damages for Hansen, according to the opinion.

A cook put facial or pubic hairs in a cut he made in Hansen's steak in February 2008, after Hansen had complained that his first steak had been overcooked. The cook pleaded guilty to putting foreign objects in edibles and was sentenced to six months in jail and two years of probation.

Hansen sued the restaurant, but the jury's 2010 verdicts seemed to reflect some confusion, awarding the $125,000 while rejecting the idea the restaurant was negligent.

Circuit Judge Andrew Gonring upheld the award on the theory that the jury clearly wanted to punish the business for not firing the cook sooner. Hansen claimed at trial the cook had done similar pranks before.

WAUKESHA COUNTY

Woman found safe after domestic incident

Waukesha -A woman reported missing Wednesday after a police standoff at a Waukesha home was found later unharmed.

Police began searching for the woman when she didn't show up for work after officers were called to a domestic violence incident on East View Court shortly before 6:30 a.m.

According to police, the owner of the home owns firearms and had previously threatened to shoot officers.

Tactical officers and an armored vehicle were sent to the home after no one answered the door and police could not contact the owner or the woman.

The homeowner turned himself in to police about 10:30 a.m., was uncooperative with officers and was placed in protective custody to evaluate his mental status, police said.

Police later learned she had left the home Tuesday night because she felt threatened.

Officers found her safe at a relative's house about 12:30 p.m., police said.

Wisconsin man, 98, killed by car while getting mail

A 98-year-old Sheboygan County man was killed Tuesday when he was struck by a car while getting his mail.

Erhard Klug of rural Random Lake was trying to get his mail when he stepped into the path of a 1997 Dodge van driven by Lona Luebke-Barttelt, 52. The accident happened shortly after 4 p.m. on Highway HH, south of Brazelton Road in the Town of Scott.

Police find underfed calf in Beloit home

Beloit - Police responding to a domestic disturbance call at a Beloit home made an unusual discovery.

Officers said a malnourished calf was being kept in the basement of the house.

A woman living at the residence called police Sunday and told them her husband had assaulted her. Police Capt. Vince Sciame said the husband was upset the calf was not being properly fed.

The calf was taken to the University of Wisconsin Veterinary Hospital and was later sent to an animal shelter.

New engineering dean named at UW-Madison

Madison - The University of Wisconsin-Madison has chosen the director of the National Science Foundation's Division of Materials Research as its next dean of the College of Engineering.

Ian Robertson, a Donald B. Willett professor of engineering at the University of Illinois, has led the materials research division at the National Science Foundation for the last two years, and headed Illinois' department of material science and engineering from 2003 to 2009, according to a news release from UW-Madison.

Robertson will assume leadership of the College of Engineering on March 1.